CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland Police brass responded in a recent interview to the criticisms and recommendations of the Police Executive Research Forum, a national research and policy organization hired to audit operations in Cleveland Police's Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit.

Below are some highlights from PERF’s list of recommendations, along with Cleveland police’s response to each. You can read the full report in the document viewer below.:

Recommendation: Cleveland police should ensure that the process of appointing detectives to the Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit is based on knowledge, skills and abilities and should move to eliminate the seniority-based unit selection mandate in the police union contract.

Police response: This issue must be handled through collective bargaining and has been taken up in the current police union contract negotiation.

Recommendation: The police should minimize the time lapse between when a report comes in and the interview by detectives. Police should require detectives to go to the scene of a sex crime when the victim is present, to go to the hospital if the victim has been taken to the hospital, or to take the victim from either the scene or the hospital to the Sex Crimes/Child Abuse Unit, in order to initiate a preliminary investigation.

Police response: Williams said that supervisors are taking a more active role in making sure patrol officers submit their reports to sex crimes detectives immediately. And supervisors in the sex crimes unit now check the previous day's computerized dispatch records each morning to catch reports that might have slipped between the cracks.

City Safety Director Michael McGrath said that although PERF identified the time lapse as a problem, he would like to believe that 80 to 90 percent of the time, officers are following orders and forwarding cases immediately to detectives. The department can use roll-call training sessions to remind patrol officers of this responsibility, he said.

Detectives currently do not work shifts past 10 p.m., but can be on call throughout the night. Police Chief Calvin Williams said he will consider whether staffing levels will allow for the creation of a late-night shift, in response to PERF’s finding that at least a third of sexual assault cases are reported between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.

But detectives will continue to respond to cases within 24-hours of receiving them, per the current policy, rather than immediately go to the scene or the hospital – except in extraordinary cases, said Deputy Chief Ed Tomba.

Recommendation: Encourage the use of forensic interviews – a type of objective, non-leading technique used to interview children -- and clarify in the procedural manual the use of written, forensic, audio or video recording in the interview process. Encourage audio and video recorded victim statements as an effective tool for prosecution.

Police response: Since PERF began its examination, five detectives have been trained in the use of forensic interviews, and the department is working to get all 14 detectives trained.

Video- and audio-recorded interviews, which police had used for suspects, are now being used routinely for victim interviews, with the victim’s consent.

Recommendation: The case-review process should be changed to require cases be taken directly to the Cuyahoga County prosecutor for consideration for felony prosecution, rather than to a city prosecutor.

Police response: That recommendation has been referred to the city's law department for review. City Communications Director Maureen Harper said she will check on its status.

Recommendation: Discontinue the use of "no prosecution" forms – a document that victims historically have been asked to sign stating that she or he chooses not to pursue the case. PERF found that it is a deterrent to victims who could change their mind later, as well as an excuse for detectives to conduct no further investigation. Instead, detectives should simply note in the report if a victim does not wish to prosecute.

Police response: The use of no prosecution forms was discontinued as of Jan. 1. Tomba said it was a "solid recommendation."

Recommendation: Create a checklist for use by detectives to ensure review and or completion of all aspects of the sexual assault investigative process. Detectives don't use a consistent approach in their investigations and miss investigative opportunities.

Police response: Tomba said that the department created a checklist years ago but would look to adopt one similar to that which is used by County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty's Cold Case DNA Task Force to include a wider variety of database checks that have been successful in tracking down rape victims and suspects decades after crimes were committed.

Tomba said, however, that he does not want the checklist to be exhaustive. He said he wants detectives to be creative in their investigative approach and still prefers the "old-fashioned way of knocking on doors.”

Police response: The curriculum for 2014 already has been designed and approved by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. This recommendation could be accomplished no earlier than the 2015-16 training program.

However, many of the trainings blocks are set and mandated by the training academy. So instituting this recommendation would require gaining the state’s cooperation, McGrath said.

Recommendation: Provide 40 hours of specialized sexual assault investigative training for all current detectives – including lectures, electronic learning, role-play and field training and observation.

Police response: While many of the specialized training requirements also are governed by the training academy, the department has greater flexibility in designing in-house training curricula and is taking this recommendation under consideration, Williams said.

Recommendation: Stress consistency in procedures for taking sexual assault reports to ensure that all victims receive the same professional level of police response in every police district. Victims reported having dramatically different experiences from one district to another.

Police response: Williams said that reinforcing consistency in handling reports is part of the department's recruit training, in-service training and roll-call training programs.

Recommendation: Initiate a peer-to-peer review by partnering with detectives from Philadelphia, a police department that PERF says has become known in the past decade as a model agency for its response to sexual assault cases. This recommendation would require detectives to visit and shadow one another, as well as provide constructive feedback.

Police response: It is unclear how receptive police brass are to this suggestion. Tomba said he would not be opposed to a peer-to-peer review if it "fits into our division and city." He added that he would prefer to take best practices from a variety of cities, rather than focus solely on Philadelphia.

Williams said there are likely other cities, such as Pittsburgh, that would make good partners, too.

Recommendation: Organize twice-a-year audits with an external agency. PERF recommended using the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center's Sexual Assault Response Team – a consortium of service providers who tend to the needs of sexual assault victims.

Police response: McGrath said that he will take responsibility for designing protocol for regular audits.

Recommendation: Cleveland should seek funding for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to provide an additional victim advocate to work with detectives. Currently, one crisis center advocate is embedded with the unit and reviews more than 1,000 cases a year.

Police response: Valarie McCall, chief of government and international affairs for Mayor Frank Jackson, has been working to identify funding for another advocate. Northeast Ohio Media Group awaits a response from the city on the status of that funding.

Recommendation: The unit should add four detectives to bring caseloads to a more manageable level.

Police response: Tomba said the unit already has four additional detectives that could join its ranks, but they currently are dedicated to working alongside investigators from the county prosecutor's office on the DNA Cold Case Task Force.